Baby Center News & Features

While the rates of accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed are low, they're on the rise.

Rates of major birth defects were similar for children of deployed and non-deployed veterans. And there was no difference in major birth defects among children whose mothers were or weren't deployed.

Surgical site infections occurred in 0.75% of the deliveries covered by Medicaid and 0.63% of those covered by private insurance. In other words, women covered by Medicaid had a 1.4-fold higher risk, the researchers reported.

Shots can be a major cause of stress for babies and their parents, but a four-step pain-relief routine can ease Baby’s discomfort.

In yet another finding that points out the positives of breastfeeding, scientists report that beneficial fungi and yeasts reside in breast milk.

Among more than 700 infants in seven countries, the researchers didn't find any measurable neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems up to the age of 5.

Researchers found that breast milk from women who pumped tended to have more potentially bad bacteria than milk from women who fed their infants only from the breast.

While previous research linked heat exposure among pregnant women to heart defects in their newborns, the causes remain unclear.

Delaying the first bath provides more initial skin-to-skin time between mother and baby, and preserves smell, which may encourage babies to latch, the study authors said.

Infantile hemangiomas are bright red or bruise-like birthmarks that appear shortly after a baby is born. They're caused by extra blood vessels and appear on up to 5 percent of infants.

The FDA said it has received reports of infants and children suffering serious injuries due to teething jewelry, including one death. In that case, an 18-month-old child was strangled by his teething necklace during a nap.

Infants born addicted to opioids had significantly smaller head circumferences, researchers have found, potentially putting them at higher risk for mental health and developmental problems.

A parent sucking on a pacifier was linked to suppressed levels of an antibody related to allergic responses in their infant, researchers report.

Though new parents often expect baby to sleep through the night by 6 months of age, a large percentage do not, a study has revealed.

Bacteria from breastfeeding and from formula behave differently in babies, nrew research says.

Paid family leave helped increase breastfeeding, but the rates increased most among higher-income women who could afford to take more time off from work, researchers say after analyzing data from two of four U.S. states that offer time off with pay.

There's no proof that cardboard baby reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and they may pose other risks, British researchers said this week, concerns that are shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Researchers studying how the human immune system adapts itself to birth saw “drastic changes” in the babies' immune system early in life. They hope the findings will one day allow scientists to steer the immune system in different directions, and perhaps prevent autoimmune diseases and allergies.

Women who have breastfed have a 23 percent lower risk of stroke after menopause, new research has found. The link is even stronger among black women, who had a 48 percent lower risk if they nursed a child.

Tests of two infant oxygen monitors sold directly to consumers have raised serious concerns about the accuracy of these devices, which are meant to keep an eye on a baby's heart rate and oxygen levels.

Heavy metals at levels called ''troublesome'' are lurking in foods commonly eaten by babies and toddlers, according to a new Consumer Reports investigation of 50 packaged foods made for children.

Using vitamin D supplements while a woman was pregnant or after her child was born didn't help the baby grow, a new Canadian study found.

Researchers found that 5-month-old infants spent 40 percent longer listening to sounds from other infants than to adults making the same sounds.

Previous studies have suggested that such mutations could cause up to 20 percent of SIDS deaths.

A number of triggers -- infections, stress, illness and allergies -- can activate the immune system. This causes proteins to be released as part of an inflammatory response.